I read Tess aged 18 and loved it so much I didn't want it to end, and it turned out to have one of the worst endings of any book I've ever read. I think if I read it again now (25 years and marriage and kids later) I would want to get stridently feminist with it. I just recently finished Return of the Native, which I wanted to read ever since I saw the film but I'd always struggled to finish the opening chapter. I recommend it, but if you're a bit busy replace chapter one with "Egdon Heath, getting dark" and you're off!

Tess is my favourite, I read it the summer before 6th form in preparation for studying it. My stridently feminist English teacher ripped it apart with us over the next year but it didn't stop me adoring it!

We've just done Tess for last book club book, most of us loved it. I read it at school but enjoyed it so much more with a bit of life experience behind me. Jude gave me nightmares. Think my fave is Mayor of Casterbridge, though.

Far from the Madding Crowd is just a stunning piece of work! Oh to be able to write like that. I studied it as part of my OU degree. Loved it so much I have recently finished Jude the Obscure, what a sad sad novel. happy reading!!!!

Oh I loved Two on a Tower. I also really enjoyed his short stories. For A level we studied The Withered Arm and other stories and I loved reading and rereading and rereading for revision.Hmm, think I might just pop over to a book website and order it...

Intellectually Torn between Jude and Tess but in reality if I had to choose the one I love 'return of the native' just for the fabulous description chapters of the main characters. The teenage me just wanted to be the moody petulant mysterious eustacia vye roaming a Heath. Sigh just had to google the 'queen of the night' cheaper and re read it ahh.

Read lots of Hardy in my late teens and apart from the absolute basics have forgotten almost everything about them. But last weekend picked up 5 at a charity shop for £4.50...total bargain and intend to re-read them after a more than 30 yea gap.

I recently re-read and enjoyed the Mayor of Casterbridge. Tess is on my list to re-read and FFMC. I once read Two on a tower which I remember loving but that was as a deep teenager. It may not be as good as I remember!